After five games away from the Bell Center, the Canadian will meet his fans again. In front of him are the Florida Panthers. The latter concludes a series of three games over four nights in Eastern Canada.
Here are 5 things to keep in mind about this clash
1. The fatigue element
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The Canadiens players returned to Montreal after being away from home for ten days. If they return from Columbus in the early hours of the morning, they risk getting heavy legs. Getting off to a good start in the game is essential.
2. The rotation continues
Archive photo, Martin Chevalier
The rotation continues in front of the Canadian’s goal for the 19th game in a row. Cayden Primeau faces gunfire from Panthers players. The American also returned from the trip earlier than his teammates in order to be fresh and ready. That’s a luxury that a team with three goalkeepers can afford. There should be no further changes to the training.
3. The Panthers in slow motion
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Paul Maurice’s team has been going through a somewhat slower phase for the past two weeks. The Panthers have a 3-3-1 record since November 16th, but that hasn’t stopped them from finishing third in the Eastern Conference with a record of 13-7-2 (28 points).
4. Barkov likes himself against the Canadian
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Aleksander Barkov has failed to finish in his last five games. However, he always had success against the Canadian. In 31 games he moved the strings 22 times. The Habs are the only team the Finn has scored more than 15 goals against.
5. The massive glitch attack
Photo Martin Chevalier
The Canadian did not gain a numerical superiority in Columbus on Wednesday. What prevented him from ending a bad streak. There are now seven games in which Montreal’s massive attack hasn’t scored a goal. The Habs have been shut out in their last 17 attempts.